newhavener07's Profile
"Sweet Genius" = Dr. Evil?
Wow, I just had the weirdest experience with this show: Watched one episode and was put off by the host's artificial tone, goofy chefs, silly challenges. Bored last night and watched a second episode and found myself completely enraptured: Once you suspend a bit of disbelief, the challenges are really compelling in their limited scope and Chef Ron's blunt and bemused commentary is just fascinating. For the first time with a FN host, I found myself wanting to drop everything and become his disciple. Could Chef Ron be the messiah?
One Nice Dinner in New Haven
Good choice and have a great meal! We've got lots of dining options; hope your son enjoys Yale.
One Nice Dinner in New Haven
There's a nice new place called Red Lentil that's vegetarian/vegan, excellent quality and good prices.
Vegan food shopping in New Haven, CT
One more note: You won't see many veggies on the tables at the farmer's markets for a few weeks yet, except for stuff from greenhouses. We had a cool spring and there's not much up at the farms yet, from what I'm hearing.
Vegan food shopping in New Haven, CT
Edge of the Woods is a great grocery store with lots of vegan products (no meat sold) and Bridge tofu, the best and freshest in the region. There's a great vegan Jamaican just a few blocks away called Elaine's Healthy Choice and another good place not far from there is Claire's Corner Copia that has more and more vegan stuff. Edge has lots of international products but there are also lots of small groceries in West Haven and surrounding towns. Hong Kong Market is the cheapest in New Haven for Asian products but produce can be sketchy. Don't forget Fuel in Wooster Sqare for great vegan donuts and cupcakes!
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Claire's Corner Copia
1000 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06510
Two Boots - Bridgeport
The pizza is pretty good, although the crust is not up to New Haven standards. Great live music though, and good salads and other stuff. Definitely worth a try.
Unusual Variety of Tomato Plants to Buy in New Haven area
Second on the Wooster Square farmer's market, I've had great luck with their sungold plants although they're pricey. Much too early to put tomatoes out around here, tho, in the 40s some some nights lately.
New Haven casual lunch & dinner spot for Saturday
THere's a great Indian place near the train station that would be good for lunch and easy to find a parking spot for -- Thali. Delaney's is OK but can be full of frat boys if there's any kind of game, so I would opt for someplace downtown like Cask Republic on Crown, a great upscale pub, or Zinc or Basta on Chapel for new American and Italian. SHould be parking on college above the Green.
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Thali
87 Main Street, New Canaan, CT 06840
Basta
1006 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06510
Red opening in New Haven tomorrow night (feb. 20)
Anyone know of what kind of food they're going to have? The real story behind closing of Foster's?
Joe's Crab Shack in CT?
I've though the food was OK at locations I've been to down south, but the terrible puns ("I got crabs at Joe's!") on the heavily promoted merchandise (giant gift shop up front) soured my appetite. Hope they tone that stuff down up here.
Bacon in the New Haven area??
Try the farmer's market in Wooster Square--there's a vendor with great bacon there.
TC Just Desserts: Finale [spoiler]
I can't get over the love for Morgan--yes he did get the "villain edit" but he gave them plenty to work with--has any other TC contenstant been so openly insulting of another contestant as he was of Zac? Zac was a bit over the top but calling him a "little girl," a "fairy" and that show tunes crack was over the line into downright homophobic, in my view. I wouldn't patronize any restaurant he was a part of, even if he is talented. Judging by what was aired, I think the producers may have struggled to find any footage that DIDN'T show him to be an ass clown. And I'm sorry, that moment when he teared up over his son was about the fakest "I miss my brat" moment of any TC so far.
TC Just Desserts: Finale [spoiler]
Yay, good ending, although my sympathies had shifted a bit toward the end and I was hoping for an underdog upset...tebrikler to the winner!
TC Just Desserts: Finale [spoiler]
OK, we have a winner in the least convincing emotional moment sweepstakes: Morgan! Wow, unremitting jerkwad the entire season.
TC Just Desserts: Finale [spoiler]
Wow, male toplessness, homophobic slurs and the use of the word "ass clown" -- and we're only 13 minutes in. This is going to be good!
What's up with the New Haven food carts?
They've dug up Prospect in big swaths and left them sitting unfinished for a week or more so I suspec the carts don't want to brave the uneven pavement. Fix the damn roads, please!
What's new and exciting in CT (Hartford or New Haven)
They were a fad on the West Coast but generally the sushi tends to be low quality and doesn't benefit from being on the conveyer belt, in my experience. But it is a fun change of pace.
Top Chef: Just Dessert Episode 8: CelebriTea
Wow, google search sugar flowers and check out some of the bakeries out there. People are nuts.
Top Chef: Just Dessert Episode 8: CelebriTea
What is the purpose of those sugar flowers? None of them looked that appealing to me. Has anyone seen the guest judge's work or been captivated by a sugar flower? Another thing I don't really get is fruit/veg carving. Yes, they look nice but what a waste of time and edible food.
what do you prefer that most foodies would scoff at?
Oh, and I just don't get the concept of shallots. Yes, they're a bit sweeter but SO not worth the extra effort to peel them, much less find fresh ones in your average market.
Just say no to shallots!
what do you prefer that most foodies would scoff at?
Popeye's dirty rice, yes! Rubio's for anything!
what do you prefer that most foodies would scoff at?
Starbucks sandwiches--they're pretty good and not too huge.
Supermarket sushi--usually quite fresh, minimally handled, kept at the right temperature and priced for what it's worth. I'll take it over a manhandled slab of past-its-prime sashimi at your average "Fusion" hellhole any day.
Just Desserts 7: Dessert Wars!
So true. I'm totally neurotic about following a recipe to the letter when I'm baking. And I have nightmares about mixing up baking powder and baking soda! The thought of improvising a recipe for dozens of people on the fly without confusing Dawn Hand Renewal for egg whites gives me the shakes. And on regular TC they're always pulling out scallops or foie gras, which even in my much more carnivorous days I was unlikely to have on my shopping list. Almost everything for the TC:JD recipes I have in my pantry right now.
Just Desserts 7: Dessert Wars!
Still watching but a bit under the weather and couldn't post last nite. Glad Heather went home although I warmed up to her a bit with the post-chop interview. I think she's had a tough life and she's taken on the role of "kitchen shrew" to compensate. I'm sure she'll mellow out with time. I
As for the "dessert wars," I think the concept was a little sketchy so it wasn't quite fair for the judges to be so harsh about ambience and the selections. Yigits dish looked nasty--like a puddle of motor oil, but that could also be the poor quality of my TV picture. Morgan's seemed the most appealing but not quite fitting to the concept, more of a fine dining dessert. I still love this show and love how the relative limitation of desserts allow for creativity using ingredients I might actually have at my disposal. (Regular TC is getting so meat-focused I think it's out of range for many budgets/health-focused diets.) In addition, Gail and Johnny aren't so campy/bizarre that they distract from the proceedings, unlike Padma and some of the characters they drag out for regular TC.
I love TC:JD! More Sylvia!
Just Desserts 6: I want a retraction
The judges seemed to tell Heather that a dessert had to be 100 percent black and white. That wasn't the case with Zac's dessert, so why didn't he hear about it? And there was also mention that Morgan's cake tasted nothing like it was supposed to and he himself said it didn't work out right, yet he's in the top 4. Heather does seem unpleasant, but I think she's also getting a bad edit and an unduly hard time from the judges.
Just Desserts 6: I want a retraction
That would have been great! Wow, they would have shut right up.
Just Desserts 6: I want a retraction
Noooooo, not Erica. That really hurt. Does it make sense that they pimp soap the entire hour, shamelessly and relentlessly, then kick a chef off for making ice cream that tasted like...soap?
Why did Heather get hit for not sticking with the color scheme when Zac's dish was distinctly brown?
What a painful episode.
